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CLICK HERE for the latest market quotes from the Iowa Agribusiness Network!
CLICK HERE for the latest market quotes from the Brownfield Ag News Network!
[COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA, October 13, 2020] – Pottawattamie County Emergency Management Director Doug Reed, Tuesday, said “The current weather forecast and environmental conditions indicate a potential for very high to extreme fire behavior on Wednesday, October 14th through Saturday. This includes easy ignition potential and rapid fire spread. Conditions will slightly alleviate but remain high Thursday and Friday, degrading again on Saturday.”
Pott. County EMA
According to Reed, “Fire departments in Pottawattamie County have responded to two large cropland fires over the past week and ask for everyone’s compliance with the current Open Burning Ban. In addition, the Emergency Management Agency is asking all residents to discontinue the use of recreational fire pits, campfire rings, covered burn barrels, and any type of burning through the remainder of this week and weekend.”
“Pottawattamie County,” he said, “has seen the devastating effects of fire in extreme conditions, including firefighter injuries and loss of residential properties and other structures. We want to do everything we can to help prevent unnecessary injuries or devastating property losses from occurring.”
Violation of the existing burn ban, especially actions or negligence causing injury or property loss, can subject a person to citation or arrest for disobeying a burn ban, reckless use of fire, or other applicable statutes. For updated information on conditions you can find further information on the county’s social media, and web pages.
An Open Burning Ban will remain in place until environmental conditions improve.
It’s that time of year for the Cass County Conservation Board to once again ask you…”When do you think the first Trumpeter Swan will arrive at the Schildberg Quarry?” Call in your prediction (by November 11th) to the Conservation Board, at 712-769-2372, leave a message and return phone number if their staff are not in.
A Trumpeter Swan (file photo)
Duplicate dates will not be allowed. For example, if a caller predicts November 25th, no one else will be allowed to predict that arrival date. So, call anytime until November 11th to make your prediction! One prediction per family, please.
The sponsors of this contest will determine the official arrival of more than 6 trumpeter swans to Lake 4. The winner will receive a Trumpeter Swan 8×10 print from the Cass County Conservation Board. Sorry, this contest is only for residents of Cass County.
Trumpeter Swans have visited the Schildberg Quarry for, at least, Twenty-one out of the last twenty-two winters. Arrival and departure dates of the swans have been as follows:
Cass County Conservation is hosting their 6th Biennial Lighted Halloween Campground, Saturday October 24th at Cold Springs Park in Lewis, from 7-9 PM. The event is designed to be non-scary, Family Friendly, and FREE to drive into the night! Prizes will be for the top 3 voted sites, and for some special categories. Prizes are donated by event sponsor Cappel’s Ace Hardware. The event will be cancelled if there is inclement weather.
(Radio Iowa) – Construction is underway in Mason City on what will be the world’s largest freestanding grain bin. Sukup Manufacturing of Sheffield has designed the bin, with a peak height of 155 feet and a capacity of 2.2 million bushels, for the Golden Grain Energy ethanol production plant.
Sukup rendering of the grain world’s largest grain bin.
The new bin would beat the two, 2-million bushel Sukup bins built in Atlantic for the Elite Octane LLC Ethanol plant, which went into operation in July, 2018. The two Sukup corn storage bins in Atlantic are each 156 feet in diameter and 150-feet tall. They hold 2,000,000 bushels each, for a total corn storage capacity of 4,000,000 bushels. They are capable of encasing a Boeing 757 jet.
Sukup president and CEO Steve Sukup says the 165-foot diameter bin in Sheffield will be large enough to hold a Boeing 767 jet.
Golden Grain C-E-O Chad Kuhlers says the bigger grain bin will increase the company’s total storage capacity from about 1.275 million bushels to almost 3.5 million bushels.
Kuhlers says the increased storage capacity can help with production around holidays and other times when corn can’t be delivered. He notes Christmas and New Year’s are both on Fridays this year, and a lot of people don’t want to deliver corn that week in between the two holidays.
Construction on the bin is scheduled to be completed in May or June of next year.
(Radio Iowa) – A bug that’s common from Iowa all the way east to the Atlantic Ocean and south to the Gulf of Mexico is poking at humans this time of year. Iowa State University entomologist Donald Lewis says it’s called the minute (my-NOOT) pirate bug.
“This is the insect that bites us on the prettiest, nicest, warmest days of October,” Lewis says. The pirate bug doesn’t transmit illnesses to humans and Lewis says it’s actually beneficial in the outdoor environment. “They’re also a cold-blooded predator which may be why they’re called pirate bugs,” Lewis says, “because they attack and ambush defenseless spider mites in the trees, they attack the eggs of other insects and that feeding action to eliminate the eggs of other insects could be reducing our pest problems for us.”
As for how humans can defend themselves from pirate bugs, insect repellants haven’t been found to work. Once the pirate bugs’ food supply of OTHER insects dwindles in the fall, the best defense for humans is wearing long sleeved-shirts, jeans or pants and socks and shoes. “When they land on your bare or exposed skin, they poke you with their blunt little beak to see if you are food,” Lewis says. “When you’re not, they give up, but in the process of poking you, it does hurt way out of proportion to the size of the insect.”
Pirate bugs — also known as insidious flower bugs — are oval shaped and about a fifth-of-an-inch long.
The Guthrie County SESS 4-H Range Finders club participated in a state wide Winter Postal Match competition. Participating members must submit at least 3 scores over a 5 month period from November to March. These scores are then compared with other SESS 4-H participating members across the state and awards are presented.
(Photo submitted)
Congratulations to all the members for participating in this during the pandemic! Members receiving metals were Sally Jo Geckler for 1st place in Senior Air Rifle, Ruby Hummel for 1st place in Senior Archery Freestyle and 1st place in Senior Archery Traditional, Lauren Kennedy for 2nd place in Senior Archery Freestyle, and Max Owen for 1st place in Intermediate Archery Freestyle.
(Article Submitted by Trever Derry, Reporter)
DES MOINES– The Office of Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds is reminding Iowans participating in the fall harvest that Gov. Reynolds has already suspended the weight limits for transportation of agricultural supplies and commodities on state highways. Section 120 & 121 of the current Public Health Disaster Proclamation issued on September 18, 2020, allows vehicles transporting agricultural supplies and commodities including but not limited to livestock, milk, crop supplies, and agricultural waste (not exceeding 90,000 pounds gross weight) without a permit, for the duration of this proclamation. It also waives hours of service requirements while transporting these loads.
This proclamation applies to loads transported on all highways within Iowa (excluding the interstate system) and those which do not exceed a maximum of 90,000 pounds gross weight, do not exceed the maximum axle weight limit determined under the non-primary highway maximum gross weight table in Iowa Code § 321.463 (6) (b), by more than 12.5 percent, do not exceed the legal maximum axle weight limit of 20,000 pounds and comply with posted limits on roads and bridges.
The Iowa Department of Transportation is directed to monitor the operation of this proclamation to ensure the public’s safety and facilitate the movement of the trucks involved in our state’s harvest. The current proclamation expires at 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 18, 2020, unless extended by Governor Reynolds for another thirty days before that date.
ATLANTIC, IA (October 11, 2020) – The 2020 Harvest Market has been scheduled for Monday, November 23 from 1- until 7 PM at the Cass County Community Center. This holiday market is held the Monday before Thanksgiving so you can pick up local produce, baked goods, and meats to enjoy at your Thanksgiving meal. The market also offers holiday décor and gifts by local crafters and artisans.
Vendor spaces are now available, and local farmers, bakers, artisans or crafters are invited to sign up. Vendors interested in participating can find details and a registration form online at www.atlanticiowa.com or www.produceintheparkatlanticiowa.com, or at the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce.
This year, the market is taking additional precautions to slow the spread of COVID-19. Online pre-orders with drive-though pickup will be available, and all in-person shoppers are asked to wear masks, give distance, and limit to one shopper per household. High-risk customers are welcome from 1-until 3 PM, and everyone is welcome from 3- until 7 PM. The number of shoppers allowed in the building at a time will be limited.
A full list of vendors, and information on pre-orders will be posted online at the Produce in the Park website www.produceintheparkatlanticiowa.com. You can also follow the Produce in the Park Facebook page (www.facebook.com/ProduceInThePark) for current event information.
Harvest Market is sponsored by the City of Atlantic Community Promotion Commission and endorsed by the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce.
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